VN - Ren'Py - Completed - City of Broken Dreamers [v1.15.0 Ch. 15] [PhillyGames]

Based on v0.2.2

What can I say, this is the new bar in the sexual visual novel genre. This is the game to watch out for in 2019.

Great Dialogue - Doesn't suffer from the awkward, broken, dialogue most games suffer from. And then it goes far above that and actually has character with a real voice, Victoria doesn't talk the same way Ellen, Meredith, Shanlon etc. Everyone is unique.

Interesting Characters with Intrigue - Victoria especially leaves me wanting more, she always leaves wondering what's her game in all of this. Gloria's fate is another one as well. But most if not all characters have their own ulterior motives for why they do things and some of those are hidden beneath the surface begging to be unearthed.

Gorgeous Renders - The moment I saw Victoria the first time... Good Lord.

Great Animations - That Shanlon scene, need I say more.

Great World Building - This game has a fucking codex (which most games don't bother, or don't have strong enough world to warrant one) and the info is actually interesting to read about.

Excellent UI - Super clean, doesn't suffer from the awkward clip-art esque design other games suffer from.

FANTASTIC Soundtrack - I legit left the Main Menu on the background when I first played CoBD just to check out the great music.

Philly_Games quality seal. If you're not familiar go and play Depraved Awakening, best game there is on the genre

If you've done that you shouldn't even have a doubt about downloading this game.

This could be a great one. Great renders, super animations, a plot that seems to involve characters and conflicts, lots of sex, good and evil It has a lot of potential. The only weakness so far is that the choices don't seem to matter too much. This may be because it is still early days. Well done. Please encourage the developer.

I'd like to state right off the get go that I am a massive cyber-punk fan all the way back to reading Gibson and Effinger. On top of that I was blown away with "Depraved Awakening" as I am also a massive Noir fan. Coming off that high, I was really hesitant to try this one out given how I couldn't think of how Philly could top the previous effort especially with a genre that is close to my heart. So finally I played the game . . .
I am astounded. This game is simply too good to exist. I watched the beginning and I could actually feel my pulse racing. The renders are amazing, the animations manage to give the feeling of watching a movie while playing a game. The writing simply leaves me wondering how they do this.
Honestly I wish this was a movie, for the first time I played a porn game on full screen not wanting to miss any of the experience. Actually that's not true. This isn't a "porn game" this is a game that has explicit sex in it. It's like watching a Hollywood grade movie but the starlets are finally doing what we all want to see!
The only disappointment is that this ride is just starting so there will be long waits between seeing where the story evolves. Damn you Philly, you hit me in the "feels"!

Now that the gushing is out of my system, here is how I would evaluate different parts of the game:
Writing - As noted above the writing is excellent. It is very accurate to the genre and the characters, even at this early stage, are becoming fleshed out and you can already start to see how they will be playing off each other in future installments. The story line is pretty standard for the genre (emotionally tired, shut-off "agent" takes a job he doesn't really want to). I sense alot of channeling Decker in the MC. That doesn't actually detract though as it is a well-established trope which plays well in the setting;
Renders - I don't think there's a dev on here who can hold a candle to the visuals produced here. The lighting is exquisite, the models are beautiful, even the weapons are realistic and fit the story. The women are all beautiful which is a bit unrealistic but, as noted above, it follows how Hollywood would present an "average" person plus, did I mention they are all beautiful? Another thing is that the characters are all unique. Thank god since I am getting tired of seeing the same models in all the games I play.
Animations - For the most part, the animations are excellent. They greatly enhance the visual appeal of the game. There were a few that were a little "stiff" which is the price you pay when you don't have a ton of money backing up your venture and you are using the limitations of the software and game engine. It can be a bit jarring when you see one but nothing extreme. The most I would complain about is that sometimes I was looking at a render waiting for it to move before I thought to click forward
Length of the first installment - As is always the mark of a first installment of a game you really get into it ends all too soon. That being said, for the quality offered, the length is very good. There are a number of sex scenes available and a number of branching paths right from the start while allows for replay value. Honestly I'm pretty happy with then length though not happy that now I have to wait again until I get my next fix.

@Philly_Games congratulations on another gleaming star in your repertoire. I wait with bated breath to see what happens next, I know I won't be disappointed.

Played the game just today, and i have to say that this is possibly the best adult game i have played yet. The animations are beautiful. The character renders are out of this world. The story is absolutely amazing. I love the cyberpunk type of setting. Great game....

Engaging story line with realistic dialog in a noir milieu with tantalizing hints of connection, relationship, and mystery. Models are distinctive and well-emoted, with very good facial expressions and reasonable physics. I personally prefer the more-realistic approach to modeling taken in this game to the exaggerated forms that are popular among some enthusiasts. Looking forward to continued development.

(Right up front I am sorry when I get the names wrong. I am just not good with them)
So yesterday I finally finished "City of Broken Dreamers" and played it again with the walkthrough to find the secrets and to get the alternative scene Ellena (the girl with the sidecut).

As I just played Depraved Awakening not too long ago I have a pretty good comparison between both of your games. Your writing in DA was already really good, but damn the first thing I noticed while watching the intro in CoBD was the improvement in your writing.
I would say the story and the setting was one of the keypoints that made DA an awsome game and I am positive that with such a start CoBD will be even better. Especially with the Cyberpunk setting, that's just my thing.
I am really curious where the story will lead. Especially with the blonde girl and that brute character.

Then we have the thing that might be more obvious to most of the players... The quality of the renders and animations.
What you are doing better then most games is in my opinion the lightning, I can't even discribe how much I like it. Both in DA and CoBD the lightning is what stood out the most in you renders.
I would say the animations in DA were good, but in CoBD they definitly improved a lot. I also like the camera rides that you have there quite a lot. I am acutally a big fan of animations out of the sex scenes
The camera angles in the sex scenes are positivly creative, which I apprechiate, I played enough games, where the lewd scenes just feld boring, because the camera angle was just bad.
The environments that you chose fit the Cyberpunk setting perfectly! Not much more to say about that.

Also I like the menu layout a lot, it fits very well.
The game also has a really fitting music. I even played it with music on, something I don't do very often.

The character design definitly is something, where everybody has different tastes. Like in DA overall I like the design of every character, both in looks and characteristic. Of course you always prefer some characters over the others, especially when it comes to possible lewd scenes. Like in DA, where Carly was possibly the most favorite woman for most of the players, in CoBD at some point will also be a woman that will be the favorite of most players. (My guess is Victoria)

Let's get to the lewd scenes the characters.
1. The scene with Chandra, damn now I know why my friends love her the most! She is incredible! I like everything on her! I like her a more petite body, her attitude, her incredibly colored hair, her make-up, the lightning and her clothings. (I am a bit afraid that she seems like a character to who something bad could happen)

2. Then we have the scene with the futa "girl". Thanks Philly for doing something out of the norm with this scene! This scene was incredible hot! And I like her whole design. And I mean she is in a VR simulation. As you have the possibility of this or the Ellena path, I really hope we will see more of the VR-girl in future updates and that this is a path of its own. (I had to think of the new Blade Runner actually)

3. The Ellena scene, I totally missed this scene at first. Played it in my second playthrough, but I have to say that this scene is my least favorite at the moment.

4. What should I say to the scene with Victora, I mean that is just a woman of class! And that's how the scene played, just incredible from the beginning to the end.

5. Honorable mention: MCs wife (was it Sonja) didn't have a sex scene, but she made me curious and I like her design, because it is the only not over the top design

So my ranking for the best partners is at the moment:
1. Chandra
2. Victoria
3. VR-Girl
4. Sonja
5. Ellena

So thanks Philly for creating such an amazing game! I am looking forward to future updates

If you are a fan of the cyberpunk genre this is an absolute must. This catches the atmosphere and story of game like Cyberpunk 2020 and Shadowrun, the ambiance of Blade Runner all in one. I am loving it so far and look forward to its continued development. By the way, if this matters at all this is the first game here to ever get me to write anything for them.

So, this game is incredible. best animations ever which fulfill every fetish you have. The models are so hot, grat story and lot of sex.
What I liked the most, is that there are choices and we feel responsible for every choice we make and can change the rest of the game. I LIKE THIS GAME.

Amazing start to a game. Everything is such a high quality, you can really see how much effort it took to make start of this game.
Story pulls you in right away, very intriguing, i can't wait to see what happens and how our choices affect on the situation.
I just enjoy feeling of the created world, got that blade runner feeling, just awesome.
Beautiful variety of girl models who look realistic and attractive.
This author really deserves support for his amazing work, just continue with same passion and dedication.

After so many games made in Ren'Py i never thought, that i will see such beautiful game. Plot is intersting, but its just a start. Dev made many changes to what we saw in almost every Ren'Py game. Without a doubts garphicvs is leveled to perfect. So nice to the eye pics i've have't seen for a long time.

Simply amazing!!!!
Top one on the chart.
The story is nothing short of a Hollywood movie.
The scenes are top notch and the best I have seen so far(and I have seen many).
Though the animation can be improved a little, that little flaw can be easily forgotten amidst of the jaw dropping pics and the thrilling story.
Hope you continue to make more of this.
Good luck to you too.

What a gorgeous game!

I only just finished playing Depraved Awakening before this, which ticked every box for what makes a brilliant game, and IMO, what I've played of City of Broken Dreamers... it is going to be every bit as good, if not better!

Philly has some real story writing talent. These games aren't just re-hashing the same tired old plots with the same boring dialogue. They're decent crime/mystery/thrillers, that just happen to feature some great sex scenes.

For me, that's one big thing that made this game and DA so enjoyable - the good balance between story and sex scenes. The game and the story isn't just providing a half baked excuse for the MC to go around jack-hammering any female that even so much as looks at him. The sex scenes have been worked in as an integral part of the story, and how the scenes play out are consistent with the characters of the story.

As for the characters... Philly has done some excellent work on the female models. They're all so incredibly hot I keep a fire extinguisher beside my monitor! But they're also hot in 'real life' way. You could be walking down the street and have Dr Katie, Sonja or Georgia walk right past you!

This game is wonderfully cyberpunk, and the set designs and the music do an excellent job of providing an atmosphere that really immerses you in this vision of 2042.
I'm almost surprised I didn't see Adam Jensen in one of the nightclubs. Maybe we'll cross paths with him in Chapter 3.

If you like gonzo porn or incest, this game is not for you.

But if you like a story you can sink your teeth into, a VN with atmosphere and purpose, and like making real choices for your MC on how he behaves and how his sex is served up to him, then City of Broken Dreamers is well worth a go.

My Rating of this Game (V0.1) is:

Pros:
-Fantastic Renders
-Fantastic Animation
-Nice Story
-lots of different scenes
-Long Game Play
-Blade Runner Style Game
-Easy Playing

Cons:
-None so far

Conclusion:
Love the Blade runner scenes,very mystical surroundings.
The ladies are fantastic,when you think it doesn't get better,another better looking check enters the scene.
I also like the Game play,where you don`t always have to do the same shit over and over.
This is one of the few Games that I hope will continue in the future, and not get abandoned.
Wish I had the Devs talent,its amazing....
Can`t wait for more.

Philly had set a very high bar for himself with the success of his previous work "Depraved Awakening" and it is often hard to live up to those expectations. Well, he didn't live up to them ... he surpassed them so hard he shattered them.

I won't usually review a game until it had had a few updates. I think it gives a game more chance to fix initial bugs, add some depth to the story, and give something more representative. Well, if City of Broken Dreamers improves any further (and I strongly suspect it will) we will need more stars to rate it with. This game is practically in a league of its own.

Visuals are absolutely stunning. I don't just mean that Philly used good assets and framed them well - I mean the imagery makes amazing use of camera angles, of lighting, of effects. He's used animation liberally, not just for sexual content, but more importantly to give pace, atmosphere, and cinematic impact to all kinds of scenes.

The story is something I'm always likely to adore. I'm a big fan of sci-fi and cyberpunk genres, and Gibson's Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive trilogy is one of my favourite series of books. So, a story where cybernetically enhanced mercenaries work for mega-corporations (street ronin) is right up my grungy, neon-lit alley.

People sometimes talk about a game 'raising the bar' for the whole AVN genre. Well, this game didn't just raise the bar - it strapped the bar to a rocket and launched it into orbit. The quality is rivalling that of studios with dozens of developers - truly. There's a genuine temptation to revisit every rating I've made before and downgrade them a star so that the 5 stars here make sense and are proportional.

Simply put, this game is absolutely a must play, and even though we're only in February as I write this review, I'm not sure any other game will have the time to beat this one for game of the year by December. Awesome.

I usually never review the first version of a game but this time I have no other choice because we are looking at a true masterpiece: renders, lighting, angles, dialogues, characters, soundtrack, everything (even the intro movie) shows a level of care and attention to details that goes beyond any other adult game and create a really unique and fascinating atmosphere that really pulls you in this world and engage you in the story, this is just the first chapter and I'm already hooked to the plot (a thing that rarely happens with other games). All the characters introduced so far fits perfectly in the cyberpunk world of the game both in personality and design (all the characters are breathtaking) and the animations are a massive improvement compared to Depraved Awakenings. This game is engaging, fascinating and exciting: I don't think it's possible to create a perfect game but this is fucking close to it, what are you waiting for??? Play this game and support PhillyGames, he really deserves it.

Undoubtedly, one of the greatest first release for a weg title. Renders are beyond amazing. Animations are absolutely gorgeous, perhaps the best I've ever seen. And the only game with such an amazing intro video. About the story, it's too early to say anything but given this guy's track record it is deemed to be great.

Usually i wait till the game has more updates before checking in, but since PhillyGames is the mastermind behind this i couldn't wait, Sci-Fi is one of my favorite genres, and i just love the cyberpunk ambiance so i knew i was in for a good trip, after the masterpiece that is Depraved Awakening i knew the stakes and expectations would be higher, but man PhillyGames broke all barriers and i can see another masterpiece coming,so far we got an engading story that made me pay attention every second, the soundtrack is amazing and fits like a glove with the ambiance, the models are out of this world, they are insanly hot and gorgeous, i cant wait to see how the story will unfold, all i can say is this: PhillyGames keep doing what you are doing because you are the best dev!!.

One of the best v0.1 I've ever played. The renders and animations look stunning. Some of the renders in the beginning are a bit grainy, but as you further progress, you can see Philly's getting really comfortable with Octane. Now the animations. Although still needs a bit more improvement, they were fantastic. What I'm looking forward to is more character development in the next chapter. There wasn't a lot in this one, it's more of just a quick introduction on what each characters job is, and the relation with Mc. One suggestion I have is, the glossary in game needs to be change as more content will be added. It will be hard to read if it gets too crowded. The last thing is the sound. I usually don't really use sound. But for this game I wanted to. It has one of the best soundtracks. I like how at one point in the game you get closer to this place and the music gets louder, but when you're outside, it's not as loud. I though that was a pretty cool detail. Futa scene 10/10.

The adult elements are here to serve the story rather the inverse and those who have tried a few adult games will know this is the exception rather than the rule. Obviously, at the early stage there's bound to be more exposition and setting things up, but pacing shouldn't be an issue judging from Depraved Awakenings.
The focus on the story and character elements should be commended, in a way, it's a respect for the audience that they want to invest in the narrative itself and not just the fap material.
The character models and renders are on the high end of the spectrum with regard to patreon projects. The creator's track record suggests that those who choose to and have the means to kick in a few dollars will get a worthwhile return.